White Chocolate Grasshopper Cake
White chocolate liqueur and peppermint schnapps combine to make a rich and delicious White Chocolate Grasshopper Cake!
Equipment
- Cake leveler (optional)
- Wilton icing comb (optional)
- Squeeze bottle (or piping bag or spoon, for cake drip)
- Martini glass (these layers bake dense enough to hold a real glass, but you can also use a plastic one!)
Ingredients
White Chocolate Grasshopper Cake layers
- 3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, room temperature)
- 5 eggs
- ¾ cups buttermilk (room temperature)
- ½ cup white chocolate liqueur (I used Godiva)
- ¼ cup peppermint schnapps
- ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons crushed peppermint candy or candy canes
White Chocolate Grasshopper Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese (one package; softened)
- 1 cup butter (two sticks, softened)
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 Tablespoons white chocolate liqueur (more if needed to obtain spreadable consistency)
- 2 Tablespoons peppermint schnapps
- 1/4 t. salt (if using unsalted butter)
Drip & Decorations
- 5-6 pieces Peppermint Bark (you can purchase this or make your own!)
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (for ganache drip)
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream (for ganache drip)
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract (for ganache drip)
- ¼ cup corn syrup (optional; this is the easiest way I’ve found to rim martini glasses)
- ½ cup crushed peppermint candy or candy canes (optional; to decorate martini glass)
- 2 Tablespoons hot fudge topping optional; to decorate martini glass
Instructions
White Chocolate Grasshopper Cake layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment rounds, and /or grease with non-stick or baker’s floured cooking spray.
- Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined. Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Pour in eggs and mix on low until just incorporated. Combine buttermilk with liqueurs, and mix in on a low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
- Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). This guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height. Sprinkle about 2T of crushed peppermint candy over the top of the batter in the pans, and swirl it in with an offset spatula.
- Bake for 34-37 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans. Cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired. (This is a perfect time to make your frosting.)
- Once the layers have fully cooled, the caramelized bits can be trimmed from the sides / top of the cake using a serrated knife if desired. Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled before trimming. If you try to trim the layers while they’re still warm, they will crumble and break.
White Chocolate Grasshopper Frosting
- Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with liqueurs until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add salt if needed and beat until well combined.
Assembly
- Place a bit of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer on the circle. (I wanted a bit more of a liqueur flavor to the cake layers, so I used a basting brush to infuse each one with a few tablespoons of white chocolate liqueur and peppermint schnapps. Optional but recommended!)
- Spread the layer with frosting. Chop a large piece of peppermint bark and sprinkle over the frosting, and add your next cake layer on top. Repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.
- Now you're ready to crumb-coat . If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer.
- Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 5-10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth. I like to use an offset spatula and bench scraper for this part. (Optional: once your cake is covered, place the icing comb on the cake circle against your cake and run the comb around the cake to texture the frosting.) Place the cake into the freezer for about 20 minutes (so the ganache drips will set).
Decorating (Martini glass; optional)
- Pour a bit of corn syrup onto a small plate, and crushed peppermint candy onto another. Tip the martini glass upside down and dip the rim into the corn syrup, letting any excess drips fall off. Then dip the rim into the peppermint candy.
- When I was assembling this cake, I had some chocolate ganache leftover from another project still in a drip bottle – I heated it until it was just liquid enough to squeeze out of the bottle and used it to make swirl around the inside of the martini glass. You can make your own chocolate ganache if you’d like, or some warm hot fudge topping would work as well. With whichever chocolate you decide to use, swirl the inside of the glass and place it in the fridge to set.
Decorating - white chocolate ganache
- Place heavy cream and white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on 50% power in 30-second intervals until smooth, stirring in between. Add peppermint extract and stir until smooth.
- When your ganache has cooled to a moderate temperature – it should feel slightly warm and still be fairly liquid – transfer it a squeeze bottle or piping bag. Squeeze about ¼ c of the ganache into the martini glass, and then quickly invert the glass over the cake, pressing the glass into the cake at an angle (check out my video for an extra guide on this step). Slowly drizzle ganache away from the glass, letting it fall down the edge of the cake to create drips.
Decorating - final steps!
- Pipe a few frosting swirls around the glass and add a few pieces of peppermint bark. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy around the peppermint bark and around the edges of the glass and ganache drips. I added a couple of pieces to the drips themselves as well for a bit of texture and color.
- Use a spoon to add some crushed peppermint candy around the bottom rim of the cake, and press it into the frosting with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. And you're done! Congratulations on your beautiful cake!
Video
Notes
(Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate.)
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 788kcalCarbohydrates: 102gProtein: 9gFat: 38g
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